Tapping the Dream Tree

Newford #9

by Charles de Lint

Tapping the Dream Tree collects 18 stories by bestselling contemporary fantasy master Charles de Lint. One story, "The Witching Hour," is original to this volume, with a few others taken from limited-edition chapbooks; the remaining tales have been drawn from an impressive diversity of magazines and anthologies. The stories are set in and around de Lint's mythic, haunted American city of Newford, and fans will recognize several characters from de Lint's popular series.

The powerful story "Ten for The Devil" is a superb choice for an opener: it showcases de Lint's literary strengths and treats of his recurring themes of magic, music, creativity, and human worth. Musician Staley Cross's grandmother has always warned her to be careful when she plays her blue fiddle. But Staley never quite believed that her music could rouse dangerous magic... until one night, playing in a faraway field, she discovers the Devil doesn't only go down to Georgia. First published before the filming of O Brother, Where Art Thou?, "Ten for the Devil" draws upon the same crossroads myth as does the movie, but takes a very different road as it follows Staley's search for her only hope of soul survival: a mysterious bluesman known as Robert. --Cynthia Ward

"The [Newford] books have all been written in such a way that you should be able to pick up any one and get a full and complete story. However, characters do reoccur, off center stage as it were, and their stories do follow a sequence."

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories, Science Fiction Fantasy, Anthologies, Magical Realism

541 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Charles de Lint is the much beloved author of more than seventy adult, young adult, and children's books. Renowned as one of the trailblazers of the modern fantasy genre, he is the recipient of the World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, and White Pine awards, among others. Modern Library's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century poll, conducted by Random House and voted on by readers, put eight of de Lint's books among the top 100.
De Lint is a poet, folklorist, artist, songwriter and performer. He has written critical essays, music reviews, opinion columns and entries to encyclopedias, and he's been the main book reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction since 1987. De Lint served as Writer-in-residence for two public libraries in Ottawa and has taught creative writing workshops for adults and children in Canada and the United States. He's been a judge for several prominent awards, including the Nebula, World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon and Bram Stoker.

Born in the Netherlands in 1951, de Lint immigrated to Canada with his family as an infant. The family moved often during de Lint's childhood because of his father's job with an international surveying company, but by the time Charles was twelve—having lived in Western Canada, Turkey and Lebanon—they had settled in Lucerne, Quebec, not far from where he now resides in Ottawa, Ontario.

In 1980, de Lint married the love of his life, MaryAnn Harris, who works closely with him as his first editor, business manager and creative partner. They share their love and home with a cheery little dog named Johnny Cash.

Charles de Lint is best described as a romantic: a believer in compassion, hope and human potential. His skilled portrayal of character and settings has earned him a loyal readership and glowing praise from peers, reviewers and readers.

Charles de Lint writes like a magician. He draws out the strange inside our own world, weaving stories that feel more real than we are when we read them. He is, simply put, the best.
—Holly Black (bestselling author)
Charles de Lint is the modern master of urban fantasy. Folktale, myth, fairy tale, dreams, urban legend—all of it adds up to pure magic in de Lint's vivid, original world. No one does it better.
—Alice Hoffman (bestselling author)

To read de Lint is to fall under the spell of a master storyteller, to be reminded of the greatness of life, of the beauty and majesty lurking in shadows and empty doorways.
—Quill & Quire

His Newford books, which make up most of de Lint's body of work between 1993 and 2009, confirmed his reputation for bringing a vivid setting and repertory cast of characters to life on the page. Though not a consecutive series, the twenty-five standalone books set in (or connected to) Newford give readers a feeling of visiting a favourite city and seeing old friends.
More recently, his young adult Wildlings trilogy—Under My Skin, Over My Head, and Out of This World—came out from Penguin Canada and Triskell Press in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Under My Skin won 2013 Aurora Award. A novel for middle-grade readers, The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, published by Little Brown in 2013, won the Sunburst Award, earned starred reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Quill & Quire, and was chosen by the New York Times Editors as one of the top six children's books for 2013. His most recent adult novel, The Mystery of Grace (2009), is a fascinating ghost story about love, passion and faith. It was a finalist for both the Sunburst and Evergreen awards.

De Lint is presently writing a new adult novel. His storytelling skills also shine in his original songs. He and MaryAnn (also a musician) recently released companion CDs of their original songs, samples of which can be heard on de Lin

Reviews

[Arie · Rating 4 out of 5]

And again, de Lint makes his way back to my "favourite authors" list. While not quite reaching the magic of Dreams Underfoot, Tapping the Dream Tree is filled with beautiful writing and this time, most of the stories are heart-warming too. There are only two here that I would consider dark, involving an innocent boy on death row, and also a ghost seeking revenge on a serial killer.

The other stories are fanciful and lovely (though often still with that hint of darkness). There's the werewolf going on a blind date after putting an ad in the paper; the hob who organises the books in a second-hand book-store; Sophie returning to the dreamworld for yet another adventure and, of course, Jilly Coppercorn.

If this sounds at all "childish", I assure you it is not, though all his writing - yes, even the darkest - retains that sense of childhood wonder that I think the majority of us have lost.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great collection! Rereading “Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffe Cafe” got me thinking that Adrian Paul (the actor who did "Highlander" the tv show) would be perfect as Lyle the shy investment counselor/ werewolf and I never do that.
“Making a Noise in This World” reminded me of something Sherman Alexie would write and maybe film.
“Embracing the Mystery” and “Pixel Pixies” are both about the used bookseller Holly Rue. “The Witching Hour” is about Geordie and Christie’s brother who only did the right thing at the very end of his life.
“Seven Wild Sisters” is a wonderful 144 page novella set in the same universe as de Lint’s story about a West Virginia mountain girl who finds a painting box. In “Seven Wild Sisters” she’s an old woman with another teenager learning from her. I could only wish that Sarah Jane finished high school.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good collection of short stories set in Newford and the hills nearby

[Wing Kee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love De Lint, he’s one of my favourite writers and this collection reminds me of that fact.

World: The world is utterly fantastic and magical. It’s magical realism, it’s the people that fall through the cracks in society and the magic that they find there. I love the nonchalant nature of it and the diverse cast and the setting and the beings that inhabit Newford. I love the tone the book sets, the beautiful in the mundane that De Lint is able to pull out, the artistry in the simple. I love Newford.

Story: A collection of beautiful tales of magic, characters and lives. I won’t get into each and every story here but they are beautiful, they are tied together with some central characters and themes in the book but each of them is beautiful and different in their own right. There is a long story in the end which feels almost like a novella and that one is a beautiful thing to read. I can’t really describe why I love De Lint so much, maybe it’s the prose which is beautiful, maybe it’s the tone and the pacing which makes it magical, maybe it’s the ability he has to give voice to those people we don’t think about in society and showing us how beautiful they are. This collection is that, it’s a mosaic of stories of lives and emotions and I love every single page of it.

Characters: There are a lot of characters here and they are all wonderfully beautiful and magical. Of course being Newford there are some familiar faces here such as Jilly (the best!!!), the new characters and old are handled well and with depth and respect and I love that, they are not perfect and are real and flawed beings that have stories to share with us.

I love De Lint and this collection is another magnificent reason why.

Onward to the next book!

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth collection of de Lint's Newford (and Newford-adjacent) short fiction. One of the stories is original to the collection, several were first printed as small-edition chapbooks by his own Triskell Press, and most of the rest are from original short fiction anthologies, of which most were produced by the late, great Martin H. Greenberg. The stories all appeared 1998-2002, years in which he also had some terrific novels published, so it's quite an impressive achievement. I had read many of them before, but never back-to-back, and it's impressive how well they all fit together into a view of Newford as a whole and how the narratives complement one another. By this time many of the characters are old friends and it's comforting to check in with them from time to time. My favorites this time around were Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffe Cafe (a werewolf tries a dating service), and Pixel Pixies (his bookstore stories are always great). The last story in the book seemed kind of out of place, Seven Wild Sisters, which mentions Newford but seems much more set in Manly Wade Wellman's Appalachia and perhaps long before contemporary time. It's a good YA story about family and fairies and found magic, and there's almost 400 pages of adult fantasy before you get there, so think of it as a terrific bonus. Here de Lint proved that not only was he one of the best fantasists of the 20th century, but the 21st as well!

[Иван Величков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Хронологично май се пада четвъртият сборник с разкошни Нюфордски истории на автора. Успя да ме гръмне почти колкото първият Dreams underfoot. Отново градското се умесва с магията и фантастичното в изненадващи светли и мрачни краски, отново доброто винаги взима преднина, отново чудесен де Линт.
Ten for the Devil – Попадал съм на този разказ и на друго място. Една цигуларка осъзнава, че музиката ѝ е повече от нормална. Трябва човек, който да я научи как да я владее, за да не попадне в ръцете на най-големия любител на цигулката – самият дявол.
Wingless Angels – Доста мрачно-красива история. Пеят като ангели, но не могат да летят. Избрали са грешната страна в един древен конфликт. Не искаш да се замесваш с тях.
The Words That Remaind – Странна призрачна история за един необичаен дух на едно загубено настояще.
Many Words Are Born Tonight – Идеята за паралелни вселени, зависещи от решенията ни е доста експлоатирана, но де Линт успява да я покаже нов ъгъл, доста свежо.
The Buffalo Man – Един кратък урок по човечност, проведена на един безсмъртен дух от един обикновен мечтател.
Second Chances – Такааа, мъж влиза в бар, какво може да се обърка? А ако вземе да срещне стара приятелка и вземе да повярва, че думите имат силата да променят? Не миналото, но поне настоящето?
Forest or Stone – Меланхолична история за един може би луд старец, а може би истински древен магьосник. Красива.
Embracing the Mistery – Приятна среща с няколко стари познайници от предишни истории и приятен качамак между тях, от който авторът успява да измъкне магия, без да оставя гадното чувство за евтино продължение. Плюс един оживял сайт с администратори от друг свят.
Masking Indian – Предметите също могат да имат духове, стига да има какво да ти кажат.
Granny Weather – Продължение на една от любимите ми приказки от де Линт, смесваща няколко мита
The Witching Hour – История на ръба на хоръра с дълбок социален подтекст и отмъщение.
Pixel Pixies – Най-палавите и досадни компютърни вируси в цялата империя, внимавайте в какви сайтове влизате.
Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffee Café – Класическа върколашко-романтична история.
Making a Noise in This World – Можеш и трябва да се бориш за хората, но да си войн означава и начин на живот. ТО е нещо, което изковаваш в сърцето си за да заздравиш духа и не означава да тръгнеш да трепеш неща, дори да са вредители, които, знаеш че трябва да се унищожат.
Freak – Ако видиш, че единствения човек, държал се някога добре с теб ще умре и единственият начин да го предотвратиш е да убиеш, дори да те намрази? А може и просто да ти хлопа дъската.
Big City Littles – Поредната доза добра градска писателска магия. Този път малки образи, които някога са били птици искат да полетят отново. Кой ще им помогне? Писателката, която е разказала историята им разбира се. Не знам как успява да я завърти тази тема 10 пъти и пак да чета с кеф.
Sign Here – Една сделка с дявола, изкована изцяло от диалози. Всеки си взема заслуженото.
Seven Wild Sisters – Новела за войната между феите на пчелите и гномите на женшена в която се замесват седем червенокоси сестри, всяка със собствен характер.

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

what i love about Charles de Lint's books are (1) how the world is recognizably ours but with magic just sort of off to the side where you're not looking; (2) how people are generally good -- not perfect, sometimes total screwups, but always having a decent core; (3) how it inspires you to appreciate your own life, whatever it is, without being all preachy about it.

I'm pretty sure this could be a decent intro to the Newford series -- it definitely helps to have met some of the characters before, but wouldn't be necessary i don't think.

[Mecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me favorite Charles De Lint book...if I had to pick just one :)

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half star, liked some of the stories more than others

[Hope Smash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review pending book club discussion.

[Marion Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve frequently praised Charles de Lint on my blog; he’s my favorite author, and The Little Country and Memory and Dream rank among my most beloved novels. I’ve discovered yet another reason de Lint is my favorite author. I’ve just completed “Tapping the Dream Tree,” the fourth short story collection in his Newford series. The Newford series—a collection of novels and short stories with recurring characters and a shared imaginary North American city setting—laid the groundwork for modern urban fantasy from the mid-1990s onward.

This author’s prolific output of short stories has converted me into a devoted fan and made them a staple of my reading. Short story collections are a fantastic way to boost your reading skills and break through reading ruts, ideal for infrequent or reluctant readers. Short stories constitute a distinct art form; therefore, they should be read and analyzed differently than novels.

De Lint writes in his Author's Note at the beginning of the book, that these stories take place chronologically before the novel, The Onion Girl, and the setting extends beyond Newford's city limits north of the city. I am reading the Newford series in chronological order and after reading this collection, I can see how they take place before The Onion Girl.

My favorite stories in the collection of eighteen were those that stood out, especially “Ten for the Devil,” which initially portrays a musician who seemingly sold his soul to the devil (reminiscent of Robert Johnson) but then unfolds in a wonderfully surprising way. “The Buffalo Man,” the following remarkable story, delves into Native American mythology and questions of identity. “Second Chances” was a wonderful story about a romance getting a second chance. The story that captivated me most in the collection was “Masking Indian,” which follows a young biracial woman as she discovers her connection to a Black Indian tribe, tracing their history from New Orleans to Newford.

Tapping the Dream Tree was a solid collection throughout and added more depth to the Newford characters that have populated the stories since Dreams Underfoot. This is a must read for de Lint fans and I would write not the best entry point for newcomers. However, if you read stories like Ten for the Devil and Buffalo Man will give you a sense of a master storyteller at work.

[A.M. Geever · Rating 5 out of 5]

FYI: I originally reviewed this book on Bookbub a few days ago. I just realized that this is the ninth Newford book but it was the first one I read. Like I say below, you can jump in anywhere and take a trip to Newford. I'm going to gush a little now... Charles de Lint liked my review on Bookbub. When I saw that in my notifications I squealed and wriggled like a teenager meeting Justin Bieber, ran upstairs and interrupted my husband (who introduced me to de Lint's work), squealed the news some more while doing a combo happy dance/jump up and down, and then told everyone I know on Facebook about it with a first line to my post of "holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!!!". If you ever read this, Mr. de Lint, that 'Like' made my year. :-) I've just finished my first novel, post-apocalyptic fiction with zombies (search Love in an Undead Age if you're interested, folks). I really want to write urban fantasy some day but first I have to figure out how to do it without being a de Lint knock-off. Because if you have a choice between the real thing and a knock-off, it's a no-brainer.

The Review:

Charles de Lint is one of my favorite authors. His fictional city of Newford (somewhere in North America, I always envision it in Canada) is such a fully formed universe and there's always more to discover. You can read any of his books and jump right in, regardless of what else you have or have not read. I guarantee you that you will want to read more, know more, and the more you learn of his worlds, and especially of Newford, the more you want. His writing is that good.

This book has perhaps my favorite short story of all time: Pixel Pixies. Which isn't truly about pixies at all, but the sweetest little house hob in the world. When my mother was in the hospital at the beginning of her cancer journey, which ended in her passing 6 months later, I read Pixel Pixies to she and my father. When I read the last paragraph I literally could barely do so for wanting to cry. Not because the story is sad, but because it's so beautiful, so hopeful, so abso-freaking-lutely WONDERFUL. I still get teary thinking about that evening, reading that story to my mom and dad.

That is what Charles de Lint does... transports you not only to a world, but indelibly marks the feelings that go with those times and those places, and the people you shared them with if you shared them, so that you will never forget them. And they always touch you.

Take a trip to Newford. You will want to stay and meet everyone, especially the Crow Girls. Of this I am 1000% sure.

[Duffy Pratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This stands with Dreams Underfoot as the best collection of short fiction by DeLint that I've read.

There is more variety here, and less tenacious focus an a single unifying theme. There's also more of a balance between optimism and pessimism.

My favorite was Seven Wild Sisters, the novella that closed the book. It involved a group of sisters who become involved in a longtime feud between two fairy factions. It's among the best things I've read by him.

I also enjoyed Freak, which is the sad story of a misfit who tries to do something noble with a magical gift he has. And I could go on, but it's enough to say that these were almost uniformly a pleasure to read.

I do have on factual quibble. In one of the stories, a person is executed by lethal injection. In Newford, which is in contemporary Canada (or contemporary as of around 2000, which is clearly the time frame given some of de Lints musical allusions. It works in the story, but de Lint should know that no one has been executed in Canada since the 70s, and lethal injection has never been a method there. Maybe his audience is so thoroughly American (U.S.A.) that he just takes our methods of execution as a touchstone?

I understand that it's a bit odd to take someone to task over factual inaccuracies in a fantasy. But that's sort of what urban fantasy hinges upon. Newford is supposed to exist in our world, and thus, to the extent possible, the landscape there should resemble the actual world.

But don't let that stop you. I still greatly prefer his novels, but this collection stands up well with them, and the last novella alone makes this worth getting.

[Squirrel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars mostly because most of these stories are much of the same as other stories from CDL. Which is disappointing because in general I've found his anthologies to be better than his novels. So the same issues with fatphobia, cultural appropriation of Indigenous beliefs, etc. that I've written about in reviews of his other works. There are also some real cringe entries, mostly works the author had published in anthologies that seem overly shoehorned to the themes. I'm looking at you, "Mutant" and "Masking Indian."

The best of the lot is "Seven Wild Sisters" the novella that closes out the book and it's what upgrades this from being a 3 to a 3.5 star book. I've found that the author frequently struggles with creating engaging antagonists, especially for longer works. In this case he manages to make the story fairy-tale enough that his antagonist is both believable and suitably outlandish, without resulting in a certain cartoonishness as with the all-evil-all-the-time cuckoo clan.

I'm also disappointed that this collection had a dearth of specific songs or artists named. A significant part of why I like his work is because he does that, and has an immense catalogue of music at his disposal to choose from, especially folk and traditional music.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent collection has more of the connected feel of Dreams Underfoot, and the characters link up to many of the Newford novels. The main one that doesn't is the concluding novella, Seven Wild Sisters. It's a great story but I wish someone had smacked him when he decided to write dialect. It ruined the Onion Girl too. Newford is a great big city on the model of Toronto and it's meant to be set in its hinterland, and you have these characters sounding like a caricature of Dolly Parton and just, ouch, no. He doesn't do it with any of his other characters, no matter their race or origin. So why for poor, rural white people?

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Everything has a history, even the rocks and the trees."

Ten for the Devil: fiddle player
Wingless Angels: fallen angels are a type of monster
The Words That Remain: our own ghosts
Many Worlds Are Born Tonight: every time we make a decision, we make another world
The Buffalo Man: soul drawn into another place
Second Chances: magic words
Forest of Stone: man who died sets up his own funeral pyre
Embracing the Mystery: talking dog
Masking Indian: a Mardi Gras costume has a ghost
Granny Weather: she's eating the night and it will destroy the day
The Witching Hour: guy kills a kid who happens to be a murderer, becomes a ghost
Pixel Pixies: internet fairies
Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffe Cafe: skinwalker (descended from animal people) on a blind date
Making a Noise in This World: John Walking Elk's death
Freak: a telepath kills a man before he can kill a girl
Big City Littles: writing a book
Sign Here: guy sells his soul to learn some tricks
Seven Wild Sisters: 'sangman, apple tree man, bee man

[Sheila Soprovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book to pick up and put down when I got diverted by another book, or I needed a break as some of the stories can be disturbing. But I love the world that de Lint has created and his way of mixing different views of the world. I might try reading the Newford books in order (if I have them all!)

[Peggy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seemed to lack the usual energy that brings me back to Newford. Part of it may have been the relative lack of the more beloved characters. There seemed to be a lot of sadness in this collection.

[Eric McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really excellent collection. There were a couple of stories that didn't resonate, or otherwise I would have given this 5 stars. The Buffalo Man, Forests of Stone, Embracing the Mystery were standouts, and the Novella Seven Wild Sisters was very entertaining.

[Susi Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Wonderful!

As always, Charles de Lint writes down simply wonderful stories that feed the soul, cheer one's spirits and gladden the heart. These stories must be read slowly, just to savor the time spent in and around Newford.

Thank you for this!

[ArtemisKate · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a couple really great short stories in this collection, but all were at least good.
My favorite was the Kickaha man who did graffiti on the sides of trains.
Charles de Lint is a true master of the urban fantasy!!

[Heather Wickett · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to come

[Brian Gaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could have been a 3 or a 4 but since it brought back many of my favourite characters, I settled on a 4.

[Releanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

some really fascinating stories, but some I didn't like so much

[Dawn O'Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful short stories...some back stories for the characters that we already know. I do not like short stories, but I enjoyed these.

[Velocity RaZz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant collection of Newford stories. Always satisfying to see old stories expanding, witching hour and the hob made me fuckin cry.

[BookBec · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish de Lint would lighten up on the moralizing. Many stories were so heavy-handed ... here's the moral, did you get it? Here it is again!

[Patrick Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely, comforting collection to read during this time.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of Newford stories. Consistently enjoyable as usual. De Lint continues to be one of my favorite writers.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

DeLint's short stories are always a welcome escape. Love Newford so so much.